North Korea has launched a ballistic missile into the eastern seas ahead of planned military exercises by the United States and South Korea.
The Southern Army said Sunday’s weapons test involved a single short-range ballistic missile launched near the Taechon area in northern Pyongyang province shortly before 7:00 (22:00 GMT on Saturday ).
He did not immediately release further details about the weapon, including the type of missile or the distance traveled.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan estimated it had reached its maximum altitude at 50 kilometers (31 miles) and may have flown in an irregular orbit.
Hamada said it was outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone and there have been no reports of problems with shipping or air traffic. Many of the short-range missiles tested by North Korea in recent years are designed to evade missile defenses by maneuvering in flight and flying on a lower, “depressed” trajectory, experts say.
“If you count the cruise missile launches, this is the nineteenth launch, which is an unprecedented pace,” Hamada said. “North Korea’s action threatens the peace and security of our country, the region, and the international community, and doing it while the invasion of Ukraine unfolds is unforgivable.”
He added that Japan filed a protest through the North Korean embassy in Beijing. The launch comes after the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in South Korea to participate in joint exercises with South Korean forces, and ahead of a scheduled visit to Seoul this week by US Vice President Kamala Harris.
It was the North’s first such launch after launching eight short-range ballistic missiles in a single day in early June, prompting the United States to demand more sanctions for violating UN Security Council resolutions. North Korea rejects UN resolutions as violating its sovereign right to self-defense and space exploration and has criticized past joint US-South Korea exercises as evidence of their hostile policies.
